The Rules of Naruto Fanon
by SapphireCuatro
Summary: Greetings, prospective fanfiction reader/writer. Here are the rules to guide you through the perilous world of the Naruto fanfiction archives. In this realm, fan interpretation---fanon---reigns supreme.
1. Make Sure You've Had Your Rabies Shots

Disclaimer: Naruto belongs to Kishimoto Masashi. Which is fine, because I don't think I could deal with crazed fans.

Welcome to my latest Naruto fic. It is the result of reading countless Naruto fics. If you are easily offended, this fic is not for you, as it will eventually reach the level of having mocked everyone.

This fic is rated T, for language and sexual themes in future chapters. You have been warned.

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Hello! Whether you're a newbie or a veteran, in reading this, you've become a part of the Naruto fandom. Whether you follow the manga, watch the anime (dubbed or subbed), or download smexy yaoi doujinshi of Naruto and Sasuke, you are but one person who has been swept up in the megahit Naruto, a shonen series originally created by the honorable Kishimoto Masashi. Kishimoto-sensei's creation has sparked an entire sub-universe among the fandom. The aspect of it we will be exploring today, which is but a part, is fanfiction, or fanfics for short. If you are unaware of what this word means, please stop reading now.

For those of you still with us---whether you simply read fanfiction, or write it yourself, there are essential rules to bear in mind to maximize your enjoyment of the exciting world of Naruto fanfiction, and through it, of the Naruto fandom in general. Some of these rules support one another, and some contradict one another, but taken together, they can encompass nearly every fanfiction.

Rule 1: Make Sure You've Had Your Rabies Shots

**In every fandom, there will be shippers who are as fun to deal with as rabid animals. Approach them with caution. **

While venturing through the vast world of Naruto fanfiction, you may feel as though you've gotten caught in the real-life equivalent of Itachi's Tsukuyomi---being cornered by rabid shippers. Confused?

---_Rabid Shipper: the n00b Pokemon; a predatory fan, it hunts those who do not agree with its ship. Its primary attacks are Internet trash talking and flaming._

Not all shippers reach the level of rabidity. However, if there are too many of these in one ship, it can reflect badly on the entire shipping community.

A Rabid Shipper can almost never be reasoned with. They are quite skilled at flaming, but at the same time, they are a toxic force. Their intensity can temporarily raise some of the Die-Hard Shippers to Rabid level while completely repulsing some Moderate ones.

For your convenience, here is a Shipping Scale:

~**One-Ship Hater**: This group of fans is generally mellow when it comes to shipping. However, there will be one or two ships that they absolutely and utterly despise with every miniscule microatom of hatred they have in their bodies.

~**Neutral**: They are willing to try most anything, and do not possess any outstanding preferences.

~**Moderate**: They do have preferences, being more willing to read some ships than others. However, they do sometimes venture outside their comfort zone and read other ships.

~**Strongly Supportive**: They have quite definitive preferences. By this stage, they have generally created "alpha ships" and "beta ships". The alphas are their absolutely favorite pairings. The betas are pairings that they don't like quite as much, but don't mind.

~**Die-Hard**: They have set alpha and beta ships. Generally, the alpha ship is the pairing they absolutely prefer the characters involved to be in. They like to see those characters shipped only with each other. As such, it can be extremely difficult to get them to read a fic where one of the alpha characters is in a different ship, no matter how well-written the story is. It might be possible to get them to read it if the fic is of a comedic or satirical nature, but if the romance is the center of the story, don't bother.

~**Rabid**: They share many characteristics with the Die-Hard. What makes them different is the intensity of their shipping and their attitude. If a Die-Hard sees a pairing they don't like, they probably won't bother with it because, well, they know they aren't going to like it. A reviewer for a fic who rants about how much he/she hates the pairing---especially if the pairing is explicitly stated from the start---is probably a Rabid. This could also be an extreme One-Ship Hater, however, so there are other criteria. Rabids also have a tendency to viciously attack anyone who could be remotely criticizing their shipping or a fic that it's in. It can be fun to rile them up, but beware---they bite.

*Note: Categories can overlap

A. Natural Habitat

Unfortunately, Rabids can appear almost anywhere. There are no known ways to reliably and consistently escape from them.

B. If You Encounter One

Contact with Rabids should be kept to a minimum, as they have the power to lower the impression of the quality of the Naruto fandom. It is inadvisable to encourage their behavior by provoking them or insulting them. Arguments against them, no matter how well-reasoned, are purposeless. That leads us into our next point for consideration.

C. Mistaking Your Shippers

A common error made with a novice Rabid Hunter is to mistakenly identify a Rabid. In some cases, a Hunter, in trying to root out a Rabid, will provoke a Die-Hard. The negative reaction of a Die-Hard can lead them to be wrongfully accused of being a Rabid. In order to lessen the chances of such a thing occurring, here are some things to consider:

1: Do not comment on a yaoi fic how much yaoi sucks. Don't do it to a het fic, either. You're just asking for it.

2: Do not trash a pairing, especially in a fic where it's explicitly stated that said pairing will be the alpha. Shippers, maybe even to Moderate level, will be disgusted and may even mistake _you_ for a Rabid.

3: Typically, a Rabid's arguments will be simplistic, and you will think that they have been text messaging instead of writing an actual response. Just be careful. If you are too aggressive in your hunt for Rabids then sentiment could turn against _you_.

Final Word:

Just remember, Naruto fan, that Rabid Shippers are everywhere, and as you navigate the world of Naruto fanfiction, you are bound to encounter them. Where Naruto fans gather, Rabids can be found.

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Hence, Rule 1 concludes. Rule 2 will deal with tropes involving characters themselves as opposed to the general fandom.

Thank you for your time, and hate on me, compliment me, give me recommendations for future chapters---whatever! Just tell me your opinion, even if it's just a 'Hey, nice weather today, eh?'


	2. Naruto and Sasuke are the Yin Yang Pair

Sorry for the long delay. I've actually got about three chapters for this fic---er, thing, lined up. I had a really hard time deciding which I wanted to use for the second chapter. I should be updating more regularly.

So. Even-numbered rules will deal with characters and such from the series, and how they're commonly interpreted in fanon. Odd-numbered rules will deal with the fandom itself. It's important to understand both, especially when you're dealing with a fandom that's reached such a degree of notoriety that they're called "narutards".

But before we begin, there is some thanks in order.

moonray9: Thanks for being the first reviewer! You get a cookie. XD Anyway, this thing was more borne out of my irritation of scouring pages and pages of fanfiction and finding nothing but crap. But I'm glad you find it helpful!

SkywardShadow: Thank you. I looked at your profile. You'd probably be interested in this chapter, which talks about NaruSasu. XD

Thanks for favoriting: Flair-of-fire

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Rule 2: Naruto and Sasuke are the Yin-Yang Pair

**Naruto and Sasuke are intended to serve as foils of each other. Inevitably, this makes them yaoi fodder. **

In most stories, you have a main character, and then you have a person who serves as their foil. Sometimes this "opposite" becomes a main character in their own right. These two together are the yin-yang pair.

The yin-yang pair can be enemies, rivals, or allies (or any mixture of the three). They are a very commonly used device in storytelling, spanning across continents, time periods, and genres. A reason for this is because the use of contrast is an easy way to show the development of the character.

There are many yin-yang pairs in anime/manga/video games/any crap from Japan, and they have varying relationships with each other. Sometimes the same character can even be involved in more than one yin-yang pair.

The epitome of the yin-yang pair's purpose can be seen in the characters of Lucy and Nyuu from Elfen Lied. Anyone who's familiar with this story knows they are actually two different personalities of the same person. Nyuu is simple-minded and kind but harmless, while Lucy is a ruthless sociopath. These two opposites are different aspects of the same person. That is what the yin-yang pair does---it is meant to show the duality of human nature, with two different people. Being part of a yin-yang pair gives you a unique bond with your opposite.

So naturally, they have giant "yaoi fangirls, please target me" signs pointing to them. For proof of this, go to the archives of any title featuring a yin-yang pair and look them up. A great example is Naruto's yin-yang pair, Naruto and Sasuke.

A: Naruto and Sasuke as a Pair

A pair. Not a pair_ing_.

Naruto and Sasuke are meant to contrast each other in every way, right down to physical appearances. Sasuke is black, Naruto is white, Sasuke is darkness, Naruto is light---you get the idea.

Here are some of Naruto's characteristics:

-Light-haired

-Blue-eyed

-Dresses in lighter colors

-Loud

-Hates Sasuke (but not really)

-Started out talentless but has taken about ten levels in badass since the series' start

-Powers were forced on him (Kyuubi)

-Originally, _no one_ believed in him, but he gained trust and respect as time went on, from both allies _and_ enemies

-Possesses great perseverance

-Very emotional

-Is willing to rely on others

And possibly the most stark and important difference…

-Forgiveness over vengeance

Now for Sasuke:

-Dark-haired

-Dark-eyed

-Dresses in darker colors (generally)

-Relatively quiet

-Hates Naruto (but not really, it's implied)

-Started out very talented and has continued to raise his levels of badassery, though not to nearly the same extent as Naruto

-Powers were naturally gifted to him (Sharingan)

-Originally, _everyone _believed in him, but he betrayed their trust and respect as time went on, switching allegiances about…I've lost count of how many times. Hell, I don't even know whose side he's on right now.

-If he's not thoroughly thrashing your ass in a fight, he seems to really struggle, and go through "Why am I so weak? Why can't I win? WHY?!" deliberation

-Stoic (generally)

-Relies, first and foremost, on himself

And of course…

-Vengeance over forgiveness

And so, they complement each other perfectly. To make something clear:

THIS DOES NOT NECESSARILY MAKE THEM A PERFECT MATCH. THEY ARE MERELY A CONTRAST.

It is this writer's respectful hope that Kishimoto-sensei will exploit the yin-yang pair to the utmost. Not to resort to fangirl speculation, but it is implied that there will be at least one more battle between Naruto and Sasuke. On that note, they will eventually become allies, do some Danzo ass-kicking, and then skip into the sunset holding hands, while Ino strews flowers in their path. Sakura might help too, since she's secretly a yaoi fangirl. Of course, this will never happen, because nothing I predict ever happens. Ever. On _anything_. About the only manga I've been speculating on somewhat accurately recently is Bleach, and that's because very little is accomplished from chapter to chapter, and even that hasn't been true in recent weeks.

However, since yaoi has already been brought up, it's best not to go into Bleach territory. And on that note, if that sort of thing offends, don't go anywhere near Kingdom Hearts fanfiction. Or Final Fantasy (particularly VII). Or…oh, scew it. Yaoi is everywhere. Even if there was a story with no male characters, fanfic writers would probably still find a way to make it happen.

Anyway, the situation gets much more interesting if a yin-yang pair is composed of a male and a female (it's that whole "one can't exist without the other" thing going on). However, this very rarely happens. They're almost always the same gender. On that note, they're overwhelmingly male (at least, from what I've seen in anime/manga). And on an even _further_ note, they tend to be bishounen (bishie for short).

For people who might be relatively new to the anime/manga mediums, bishounens are, essentially, pretty boys. Bishoujo applies to the other gender. They can both be called "bishies", but usually I've seen this term applied to bishounens by adoring fangirls. I'll be using these terms a lot in regards to Naruto characters, since there is a surprisingly high number of bishie characters in this series. Sasuke, for example, is most certainly bishie. Naruto, not so much (although there are plenty of fans who would disagree).

So, since we're on the subject of bishies, it's best to move on to subsection B.

B: Naruto and Sasuke as a Pairing

Yeah. I went there.

Because this pairing is so prominent in Naruto fanfiction, it most certainly is worth telling (or warning) you about. However, my personal experience with it is limited. If you're that interested in this pairing, go look it up in the archives and sift through pages and pages of crappy fics in the hopes of finding a decent one.

Undeniably, canon evidence indicates that Naruto and Sasuke are intertwined. Throughout the story, the actions of one have been connected with the actions of the other. The connection stands on multiple levels. A fairly sizable portion of the fanbase decided that it wasn't implausible for the connection to exist on _all_ levels, including a romantic one. Or a sexual one. They usually go together in fanfiction. Even Yuri Lowenthal, Sasuke's English-voice actor, made a shoutout to this pairing.

Naruto's stalker-ish obsession with Sasuke doesn't help. Neither does the fact that Sasuke has shown no interest in females (although Sasuke/Sakura shippers will argue otherwise).

Even if you hate yaoi, the fact remains that you are going to encounter this pairing in the fandom, no matter what. This is "the big one" in terms of Naruto yaoi, and I regard it as one of "the big three" in terms of pairings overall (this is in terms of how many fics you can find with this pairing and how much support it has in the fandom). I consider the other two to be SasuSaku and NaruHina.

So then…

Final Word:

It's difficult to find a fic regarding Sasuke and Naruto that isn't yaoi, and, in fact, most people will come to a fic starring these two _expecting_ it to be yaoi.

In canon, there is no relationship of a romantic nature shown between Naruto and Sasuke. They serve strictly as foils. In _fanon_, on the other hand…

Like I said, just look up fics with Naruto and Sasuke in the archives. The result should tell you everything you need to know. And if you really want to make things interesting, throw in M-rated fics. Don't click on them, though, if yaoi, fairly graphic sex secenes (or even worse, badly written fairly graphic sex scenes) bother you. You'll be scarred for life.

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I don't read Naruto and Sasuke as a pairing, so my knowledge in terms of fics regarding them is rather scant. Sorry.


	3. Copyright Violation Is Not Bad

Izzy the Lizard: Well, it's been less than two and half months...barely. I'm sorry. I've been surprisingly busy and my fanfics stood forgotten until about a week ago.

SkywardShadow: I understand your opinion on the legitimacy of NaruSasuNaru. Really, I do. But I consider a "canon" pairing to be a relationship of a romantic nature, with mutual feelings between the characters involved, that has been confirmed within the story. For NaruSasuNaru, I would say that as of the latest chapter, if it is truly within canon then it is mostly, if not completely, one-sided (on Naruto's part). In Naruto's POV, he dwells on thoughts of Sasuke obsessively, to the point where he really could be interpreted as a rejected lover, if you chose to see it that way. In Sasuke's POV, on the other hand, he dwells on people and things that he wants to kill/maim/destroy with the same kind of obsessiveness. The only time recently that I can remember him even thinking of Naruto at all was during his fight against Killer Bee. So, I guess girls and Naruto love bad boys. :D

Thanks for favoriting: Ayase Reincarnated, Izzy the Lizard

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Rule 3: Copyright Violation Is Not Bad

**A certain percentage of the fanbase sees absolutely nothing wrong with ripping the publisher of their profits via scanlations. **

On this count, I am guilty as charged.

A. Manga Scanlations

A lot of manga scanlations require you to download them, but I try to avoid things like that. I know of several sites where you can read scanlations for free online. The chapters of various manga series are posted by fans, so the quality of both the pictures and the translations is hit-and-miss. Typically the big-name series are of a consistently good quality.

The thing about manga scanlations, much like the illegally uploaded anime episodes floating around on the Internet, is that they've caused a really big stink.

Let me establish something before I go further. I own all the English-language Naruto volumes that have been released in the United States. I go to scanlation sites so that I can read the new chapters as they come out in Japan. Since I've invested so much time and money in this series, I don't feel that I'm wrong in doing so. Fans who live in other countries have as much right to know what happens next as fans in Japan do.

Most people who are involved with scanlations have relatively harmless intentions. People generally read them for one (or more) of these three reasons:

1: To follow the most recent chapters

2: To scope out a series

3: To read series that are unavailable in their native country

I'll elaborate.

1: Following the Most Recent Chapters

You read a series. You like it. You may (or may not) buy up the volumes.

Anyone who's bought a series that's ongoing in Japan would understand this problem. There will always be a discrepancy between the story in Japan and in other countries.

Naruto is a long, LONG series. It's at 47 volumes and still ongoing. I have no idea how much of my life has been committed to reading/watching/fangirling this series, and I'm secretly afraid it might rival the amount of time I've wasted doing the same thing for Square Enix games. But I think the editors know that when you've committed this much time to a series, you'll follow to the end no matter how many times each individual chapter compels you to go bang your head on a nearby wall.

And if the howling on the Internet community is any indication, there have been nothing but wallbangers lately. Or maybe Naruto fans just like to complain. They'll howl and rage and dissect it and trash it, but if you walk into their forums unfamiliar with the series and try to participate in the smack talk, they will promptly band together and destroy you.

I wandered into one forum once where the topic got to who Sasuke should be paired with. The yaoi and het shippers were arguing both with each other and amongst themselves. One person came in and said Sasuke was a douche and was going to die without being shipped anyway. When yaoi and het fans are teaming up against you, you know you're in trouble.

2: Scoping Out a Series

You see or hear about something. It sounds interesting. You read it before you buy it.

I've done this with a lot of series. Because frankly, I'm kind of picky about what I spend my money on, and since I never resell anything, I want to make sure I'll be damn happy with my purchase.

You can't always judge whether you'll like something or not based on just the first chapter. I consider ten chapters or so a sufficient amount to decide if you like a series or not. That amount would take you at least into the second volume of a series, and maybe further than that, depending on the length of the chapters. But if you read, say, all 400+ chapters of Naruto without doing a single thing to support the series, that's just blatantly ripping off the author.

3: Not Licensed in Your Home Country

I think we all understand this situation. Some series just haven't been licensed in your home country. Annoying? Maybe. But that's how it is.

If this is your situation, well, there's nothing you can do about it. Are you still guilty of copyright violation? Hell yes. Should you sink into a spiraling pit of despair because of it? Please don't. You are not the fans that publishers hate.

B. Abuse of Scanlations

There are people who go through the effort of acquiring the latest manga chapter, translating it, and uploading it to the Internet for your reading pleasure. There are people who benefit from the scanlators' work. And then there are people who take great enjoyment out of manipulating the system.

They read all the scanlated chapters for free just because they can, with no intention of ever buying the series.

It's not right, no matter what series it is. But let's face it, Naruto is long. Very long. If it was in novel form, it would be a series of doorstoppers, just like---well, basically any fantasy series that's been popular within the last ten years. Looking at literature trends, long series are _in_. The thicker the collective series, the better. People balk at series that have the potential to waste incalculable amounts of time in their lives, and yet they still invest that time. Series that are long give the author much more breathing room both for plot and for character development (although there are many excellent short series, don't get me wrong). If you read a really long series and don't care for it, then you'll feel deflated at the end, like you've just wasted a whole shitload of time (which you have). The potential payoff if you _do_ enjoy it, however, can be great.

I'll use two popular literature series as an example. These are popular to such a degree that _everyone_ should have heard of them. First up is Harry Potter. The epilogue of the final book ruined it for me. My sister felt the same way about the end of the Twilight series (which I've been avoiding). I gave a strangled fangirl cry of horror when Sirius died, and had a similar violent reaction when Lupin joined him. My sister was turning every page of the Twilight books hoping that Bella would die a horrible, horrible death, and liked it a little too much when I joked about an Edward/Jacob pairing (or should it be Jacob/Edward?). The fact that either of us cared about freaking fictional characters was a pretty good indication that the authors did their job---making the reader feel something, one way or the other.

In terms of its scope and popularity, I would say that Naruto could be called the manga world's Harry Potter. People debate over a work of fiction. They ogle over pictures on a page, calling this character or that character "hot". My sister and I got into an argument once over manga characters. We have our own individual collections but read each other's manga, see. So one evening we went through the various series we collectively own and claimed the various male characters we liked. She claimed way more characters than I did, because I'm the sort who finds one or two, maybe three male characters in series that I really adore, and they are absolutely and unconditionally mine. I took Itachi straight off. She took Sasuke, who she has a love-hate relationship with. We almost got into a catfight over Gaara. (I just let her claim him. He's actually mine). We headbutted similarly over other series.

We even made our own agreements regarding shipping. I had my guys to fangirl over and she had hers. We decided that we would not intership characters. If she wanted to ship one of her characters with one of mine, she had to ask my permission to "borrow" my character, and vice versa. So yeah. This is where you back away slowly.

Of course, since we only claim male characters, intershipping = yaoi. There are some yaoi pairings I absolutely squee over, and none of them are in Naruto. The fact that I care at all about drawings on paper and which drawing they end up with shows my love for this series.

So, if you care this much for a series, the only appropriate thing to do would be to buy the damn books. If the publishers aren't making a profit, that equals trouble for the author. It's only courtesy to repay the author for the enjoyment he (or she) has given you by giving them a little pocket money.

I, for one, like the feel of having a book in my hand. I have a limited patience for things I read online (admittedly, in some fanfics with extremely long chapters, I've done an inward groan and then skipped around to get the gist of it). I can read my manga volumes at any time, and I have as fun a time collecting them as I do actually reading them. I can go back to my favorite parts (the scenes that stay in my memory tend to be some kind of tragedy, whether it's an event or a mournful interaction between characters).

And really, if you were a mangaka, you'd getting pissed if some punks were cheating you out of money.

Final Words:

No one will deny the usefulness of scanlations. However, those who utilize them should always be aware of the line between a fan and a parasite. Remember, no one likes parasites. When they find one trying to suck their blood they tend to kill it horribly. So do keep that in mind. And if you are one, don't attach yourself to an arm and make your parasitic status obvious. Keep skulking in the shadows until you're noticed too late and have already had your fill.

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Scanlations have been problematic to the point where some publishers will sue you if you make them. I have no idea how many read them, but if the spoilers in fanfics are any indication, I'd say the number is nothing to sneer at.


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